For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
ACT. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act, also referred to as the Clean Water Act, as amended, 33 USC 1251, et seq.
ADMINISTRATION COSTS. Those fixed costs attributable to administration of the wastewater treatment works (for example, billing and associated bookkeeping and accounting costs).
ASTM. American Society for Testing Materials.
AUTHORITY. The City of Braham, Minnesota or its representative thereof.
BOD5 or BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND. The quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure in five days at 20 degrees C in terms of milligrams per liter (mg/l).
BUILDING DRAIN. That part of the lowest horizontal piping of a drainage system which receives the discharge from waste and other drainage pipes inside the walls of the building and conveys it to the building sewer, beginning three feet outside the building wall. The building drain is part of the property owner's private lines.
BUILDING SANITARY SEWER. The private extension from the building drain to the connection at the public sanitary sewer main or other place of disposal, also referred to as a house connection or service connection.
CHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (COD). The quantity of oxygen utilized in the chemical oxidation of organic matter as determined by standard laboratory procedures and as expressed in terms of milligrams per liter (mg/l).
CITY. The area within the corporate boundaries of the City of Braham as presently established or as amended by ordinance or other legal actions at a future time. The term CITY when used herein may also be used to refer to the City Council and its authorized representative.
COMMERCIAL USER. Any place of business which discharges normal domestic strength sanitary waste as distinct from industrial wastewater.
COMMERCIAL WASTEWATERS. Domestic wastewater emanating from a place of business that does not exceed normal domestic strength.
COMPATIBLE POLLUTANT. Biochemical oxygen demand, suspended solids, pH and fecal coliform bacteria, plus additional pollutants identified in the NPDES/SDS permit if the treatment facilities are designed to treat such pollutants to a degree which complies with effluent concentration permits imposed by the permit.
CONTROL MANHOLE. A structure specially constructed for the purpose of measuring flow and/or sampling of wastes.
DEBT SERVICE CHARGE.
(1) A charge levied on users of wastewater treatment facilities for the cost of repaying money bonded to construct the facilities.
(2) The city will have a maximum of 12 certification cycles per year. Certifications will be scheduled and heard at a scheduled Council meeting. All city utility accounts, unless payment arrangements have been made with the city or exempt for other legal reason, which are delinquent and remain unpaid as of the certification cut-off date shall have the balance on the account included in the preliminary certification list.
DIRECTOR. Shall refer to the City Administrator or their designee.
EASEMENT. An acquired legal right for the specific use of land owned by others.
EXTRA STRENGTH WASTE. Wastewater greater than normal domestic waste as defined in this section and not otherwise classified as an incompatible waste.
FECAL COLIFORM. Any number of organisms common to the intestinal tract of man and animals whose presence in sanitary sewage is an indicator of pollution.
FLOATABLE OIL. Oil, fat, or grease in a physical state such that it will separate by gravity from wastewater.
GARBAGE. Animal and vegetable waste resulting from the handling, preparation, cooking and serving of food.
INCOMPATIBLE POLLUTANT. Any pollutant that is not defined as a compatible pollutant, including nonbiodegradable dissolved solids.
INCOMPATIBLE WASTE. Waste that either singly or by interaction with other wastes interferes with any waste treatment process, constitutes a hazard to humans or animals, creates a public nuisance or creates any hazard in the receiving waters of the wastewater treatment works.
INDUSTRIAL WASTE. Gaseous, liquid, and solid wastes resulting from industrial or manufacturing processes, trade, or business or from the development, recovery, and processing of natural resources, as distinct from residential or domestic strength wastes.
INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER. The liquid processing wastes from an industrial manufacturing process, trade or business that exceeds normal domestic strength.
INFILTRATION. Water entering the sewage system (including building drains and pipes) from the ground through such means as defective pipes, pipe joints, connections, and manhole walls.
INFILTRATION/INFLOW (I/I). The total quantity of water from both infiltration and inflow.
INFLOW. Water other than wastewater that enters a sewer system (including building drains) from sources such as, but not limited to roof leaders, cellar drains, yard and area drains, foundation drains, drains from springs and swampy areas, manhole covers, cross-connections from storm sewers, catch basins, surface runoff, street wash waters or drainage.
INSTITUTIONAL USER. Users other than commercial, governmental, industrial, or residential users, discharging primarily normal domestic strength wastewater (for example, nonprofit organizations).
INTERFERENCE.
(1) The inhibition or disruption of the city's wastewater disposal system processes or operations which causes or significantly contributes to a violation of any requirement of the city's NPDES and/or SDS permit. The term includes sewage sludge use or disposal by the city in accordance with published regulations providing guidelines under § 405 of the Act or any regulations developed pursuant to the Solid Waste Disposal Act, the Clean Air Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act, or more stringent state criteria applicable to the method of disposal or use employed by the city.
(2) This term includes the following:
(a) Inhibits or disrupts the city's treatment processes or operations; and
(b) Therefore is a cause of a violation of any requirement of the POTW's NPDES permit (including an increase in the magnitude or duration of a violation) or of the prevention of sewage sludge use or disposal in compliance with the following statutory provisions and regulations or permits issued thereunder (or more stringent state or local regulations): § 405 of the Clean Water Act, the Solid Waste Disposal Act (SWDA) (including Title II, more commonly referred to as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and including state regulations contained in any state sludge management plan prepared pursuant to Subtitle D of the SWDA), the Clean Air Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act and the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act.
MPCA. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
NATIONAL CATEGORICAL PRETREATMENT STANDARDS. Federal regulations establishing pretreatment standards for introduction of pollutants in publicly-owned wastewater treatment facilities which are determined to be not susceptible to treatment by such treatment facilities or would interfere with the operation of such treatment facilities, pursuant to § 307(b) of the Act.
NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM (NPDES) PERMIT. A permit issued by the MPCA, setting limits on pollutants that a permittee may logically discharge into navigable waters of the United States, pursuant to §§ 402 and 405 of the Act.
NATURAL OUTLET. Any outlet, including storm sewers and combined sewers, which overflow into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake or other body of surface water or groundwater.
NONCONTACT COOLING WATER. The water discharged from any use such as air conditioning, cooling or refrigeration or during which the only pollutant added is heat.
NORMAL DOMESTIC STRENGTH WASTE. Wastewater that is primarily introduced by residential users with a BOD5 concentration not greater than 220 mg/l, a total suspended solids (TSS) concentration not greater than 240 mg/l, ammonia nitrogen concentration not greater than 25 mg/l, and total phosphorus concentration not greater than eight mg/l.
OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE. Activities required to provide for the dependable and economical functioning of the treatment works, throughout the design life of the treatment works, and at the level of performance for which the treatment works were constructed. OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE includes replacement.
OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE COSTS. Expenditures for operation and maintenance, including replacement.
pH. The logarithm of the reciprocal of the concentration of hydrogen ions in terms of grams per liter of solution.
PRETREATMENT. The process of reducing the amount of pollutants, eliminating pollutants or altering the nature of pollutant properties in wastewater to a less harmful state prior to or in lieu of discharging or otherwise introducing such pollutants into the city's wastewater disposal system. The reduction, elimination or alteration may be obtained by physical, chemical, or biological processes, process changes or other means, except as prohibited by § 52.108.
PROPERLY SHREDDED GARBAGE. The wastes from the preparation, cooking, and dispensing of food that have been shredded to such a degree that all particles will be carried freely under the flow conditions normally prevailing in public sewers with no particle greater than one-half inch (1.27 cm) in any dimension.
REPLACEMENT. Obtaining and installing of equipment, accessories or appurtenances which are necessary during the design life of the treatment works to maintain the capacity and performance for which such works were designed and constructed.
REPLACEMENT COSTS. Expenditures for replacement.
RESIDENTIAL USER. A user of the treatment facilities whose premises or building is used primarily as a residence for one or more persons, including dwelling units such as detached and semi-detached housing, apartments, and mobile homes and which discharges primarily normal domestic strength sanitary wastes.
SANITARY SEWER SERVICE CHARGE. The aggregate of all charges, including charges for operation, maintenance, replacement, debt service and other sewer related charges that are billed periodically to users of the city's wastewater treatment facilities.
SANITARY SEWER SERVICE CONNECTION. The parcel or structure's private building drain and the associated piping that connects that drain to the city's public sanitary sewer main.
SANITARY SEWER FUND. A fund into which income from sewer service charges is deposited along with other income. Expenditure of the SANITARY SEWER FUND will be for operation, maintenance, and replacement costs and to retire debt incurred through capital expenditure for wastewater treatment.
SANITARY SEWER MAIN. A pipe or conduit that carries wastewater or drainage water.
(1) COLLECTION SANITARY SEWER MAIN. A pipe that collects wastewaters from individual point source discharges and connections.
(2) COMBINED SANITARY SEWER MAINS. A sanitary sewer pipe intended to serve as a conduit for sanitary sewer and a storm sewer discharge. COMBINED SEWER MAINS are prohibited.
(3) FORCE MAIN. A pipe in which wastewater is carried under pressure.
(4) INTERCEPTOR SANITARY SEWER MAIN. A sanitary sewer pipe whose primary purpose is to transport wastewater from collection sewers to a treatment facility.
(5) PRIVATE SANITARY SEWER. A sanitary sewer pipe which is not owned and maintained by a public authority.
(6) PUBLIC SANITARY SEWER. A sanitary sewer owned, maintained, and controlled by a public authority.
(7) SANITARY SEWER. A system of pipes, lift stations, and treatment facilities intended to carry only liquid and water-carried wastes from residences, commercial buildings, industrial plants and institutions, together with minor quantities of ground, storm and surface waters which are not admitted intentionally.
(8) STORM SEWER or STORM DRAIN. A system of drains, pipes, catch basins, and ditches intended to carry storm waters, surface runoff, groundwater, sub-surface water, street wash water, drainage and unpolluted water from any source.
SHALL; MAY. The term SHALL is mandatory; the term MAY is permissive.
SEWAGE. The spent water of a community. The preferred term is wastewater.
SIGNIFICANT INDUSTRIAL USER. Any industrial user of the wastewater treatment facility which has a discharge flow:
(1) In excess of 25,000 gallons per average work day;
(2) Exceeding 5% of the total flow received at the treatment facility or loading received at the wastewater treatment facility; and
(3) (a) Whose waste contains a toxic pollutant in toxic amounts pursuant to § 307(a) of the Act; or
(b) Whose discharge has a significant effect, either singly or in combination with other contributing industries, on the wastewater disposal system, the quality of sludge, the system's effluent quality or emissions generated by the treatment system.
SLUG. Any discharge of water or wastewater which in concentration of any given constituent or in quantity of flow exceeds for any period of duration longer than 15 minutes more than five times the average 24-hour concentration of flows during normal operation and shall adversely affect the collection and/or performance of the wastewater treatment works.
STATE DISPOSAL SYSTEM (SDS) PERMIT. Any permit (including any terms, conditions, and requirements thereof) issued by the MPCA pursuant to M.S. § 115.07, as it may be amended from time to time, for a disposal system as defined by M.S. § 115.01, subd. 5 as it may be amended from time to time.
STORM WATER. Any flow occurring during or following any form of natural precipitation and resulting therefrom.
SUBSURFACE SEWAGE TREATMENT SYSTEM (SSTS). A private system for treating and disposing of domestic sewage, usually from a single residence, by means of a septic tank and a soil absorption system.
SUSPENDED SOLIDS. The total suspended matter that floats on the surface of, or is suspended in, water, wastewater, or other liquids and which is removable by a standard glass fiber filter.
SUSPENDED SOLIDS (SS) or TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS (TSS). The total suspended matter that either floats on the surface of or is in suspension in water, wastewater or other liquids and is removable by laboratory filtering as prescribed in "Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater," latest edition and referred to as non-filterable residue.
TOXIC POLLUTANT. The concentration of any pollutant or combination of pollutants which upon exposure to or assimilation into any organism will cause adverse affects as defined in standards issued pursuant to § 307(a) of the Act.
UNPOLLUTED WATER. Water of quality equal to or better than the effluent criteria in effect or water that would not cause violation of receiving water quality standards and would not be benefited by discharge to the sanitary sewer and wastewater treatment facilities.
USER. Any person who discharges or causes or permits the discharge of wastewater into the city's wastewater disposal system.
USER CHARGE. A charge levied on users of a treatment works for the user's proportionate share of the cost of operation and maintenance, including replacement.
WASTEWATER. The liquid and water-carried industrial or domestic wastes from dwellings, commercial buildings, industrial facilities and institutions, together with any groundwater, surface water and storm water that may be present, whether treated or untreated, which is discharged into or permitted to enter the city's wastewater disposal system. Also known as the spent water of a community, sometimes referred to as sewage.
WASTEWATER COLLECTION SYSTEM or TREATMENT WORKS. An arrangement of any devices, facilities, structures, piping, equipment or processes owned or used by the city for the purpose of the transmission, storage, treatment, recycling and reclamation of municipal sewage, domestic sewage or industrial wastewater, or structures necessary to recycle or reuse water, including interceptor sewers, outfall sewers, collection sewers, pumping, power and other equipment and their appurtenances; extensions, improvements, remodeling, additions and alterations thereof; elements essential to provide a reliable recycled water supply such as standby treatment units and clear well facilities; and any works including land which is an integral part of the treatment process or is used for ultimate disposal of residues resulting from such treatment.
WATERS OF THE STATE. All streams, lakes, ponds, marshes, aquifers, irrigation systems, drainage systems and all other bodies or accumulations of water, surface or underground, natural or artificial, public or private, which are contained within, flow through or border upon the state or any portion thereof.
WATERCOURSE. A natural or artificial channel for the passage of water, either continuously or intermittently.
WPCF. The Water Pollution Control Federation.
(Ord. 297, passed 3-1-2022)